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Friday, July 13, 2012

Trader Ming's Pad Thai and Peanut Satay Noodles

So...I have to start this entry off with a congrats to Russ and Sandy, the other half of What's Good at Trader Joe's,on the birth of their first baby, an adorable girl, born on 7/11/12. Awesome. Everybody's healthy and cute and ready to eat more Trader Joe's food. Rock on.

You might not want this stuff to be the first TJ's food in baby's mouth. Number one, I'm not sure infants are supposed to eat semi-spicy, highly-salty, instant-type noodles. But since Sonia and I don't have a kid yet, there's absolutely no way to be sure. Number two, they're really not that good.

Sonia preferred the Satay. I preferred the Pad Thai. Make no mistake, this stuff is not nearly as disgusting as Trader Joe's Satay Peanut Sauce. That stuff tasted rancid. This stuff just tasted...not that good.

Both dishes were void of texture, except for some very cheap noodles in a slimy sauce. They weren't rubbery, which in my opinion, would be the worst-case scenario. They weren't tough. They were just there. There was no meat. There were no vegetables. No crispy ricey things. Just noodles. And sauce. We both decided they needed a little something. So we added the only other thing we had in our freezer: Lean Cuisine Fajita Spring Rolls, which by the way, they do not sell at Trader Joe's.

And some people say we're not real foodies.

The spring rolls added some vital texture to the dishes and made them edible. Sonia stuck with the Peanut Satay. She said the Pad Thai tasted sour. I thought the Peanut Satay tasted sour, when it should have been, like, nutty and sweet. Both of us put Sriracha on our noodles. It helped. But in any case, I think I'll opt for ramen in the future.

On the right is displayed the nutrition info for the Pad Thai. Let it be noted that I was not able to display the nutrition info for the Peanut Satay opposite the Pad Thai because Blogger is being difficult right now. But I'll go ahead and tell you that there are somewhat fewer calories in the Peanut Satay. If anything, that's evidence to support my case: more calories = more deliciousness if you ask me...the Pad Thai is slightly better. Sonia's tastebuds must not be functioning correctly.

At any rate, she gives the Pad Thai 2.5 stars. And 3 to the Peanut Satay.

I give 3 stars to the Pad Thai. And 2.5 stars to the Peanut Satay. At $2 per box, I guess you get what you pay for.

I completely agree with your review. I bought two of the Trader Joe's peanut satay to have for emergency lunches (you know, those days where you can't get your act together and grab a packaged lunch) and it is "meh" at best. Wish I had seen your blog entry before I bought these!

Phew, these are a most unique combination of nasty and weird tasting! I bought the Satay because of the price, and the noodles are a gummy, strange texture, and the sauce has an aftertaste I just can't put my finger on. There's cheap, and then there's "leave it on the shelf."

Ok, I just made an attempt at eating these. It smelled alright before I cooked it, but after it was done, I took one bite and threw it straight in the trash. I've never tasted something so nasty in my life. I had the Kung pao ones. I should have listened to you guys. How did they even get a rancid tasting flavor in the sauce? I expect certain things from TJs, but not these.

I had the Kung Pao version last night... and like the previous commentator, it went straight in the trash. I should've known right away, as the sauce smelled TERRIBLE before microwaving and shockingly, the microwave did nothing to fix that. It was one of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten. How is this product on the shelves?

Barf. I threw the Kung Pao one out after two bites. The peanut satay:Used 1/3 of the sauceTossed the meal in a pan where I'd just browned some chicken breastAdded the cubed chicken breast to the noodlesFresh cilantroFresh green onionsAdded delicious Spanish style peanutsA little peanut oilFinished it with a lime wedge

IT WAS STILL BAD

The noodles remind me of those miracle noodles made of seaweed. Bouncy and gummy. The sauce smelled bad. Vinegar and sugar and nastiness. I don't understand trader joes right now. What happened. Barf barf barf.

Oh also the Kung Pao smelled like the time my husband got bad takeout Chinese and brought the leftovers home but left them in his car all weekend by accident. Not kidding. It smelled so bad I had to wrap it in plastic and take it out to the trash can on the curb.

I made the mistake of eating this before reading any reviews. I had the Pad Thai and it was gross. I am not a picky eater, BTW. 5.5 out of 10 is too generous of a score. I threw it out after only two bites, one with and one without Sriracha.

I have a cast iron stomach & hv been to Bangkok countless times without ever getting sick eating at street stalls.

Trader Joe's Satay made me mildly ill but I strugged it off. This weekend I ate the Pad Thai which had no expiration date on it (isn't that required now?) but I found the receipt & had bought it 10 weeks ago.

I fixed it, ate about half & thought it was truly disgusting. Within 2 hours I was going at "both ends" & that kept up for almost 36 hours.

Trader Joe owes me two double rolls of toilet paper.

It was disgusting & unlike any Pad Thai I've ever eaten in Thailand or the USA.

I have a cast iron stomach & hv been to Bangkok countless times without ever getting sick eating at street stalls.

Trader Joe's Satay made me mildly ill but I strugged it off. This weekend I ate the Pad Thai which had no expiration date on it (isn't that required now?) but I found the receipt & had bought it 10 weeks ago.

I fixed it, ate about half & thought it was truly disgusting. Within 2 hours I was going at "both ends" & that kept up for almost 36 hours.

Trader Joe owes me two double rolls of toilet paper.

It was disgusting & unlike any Pad Thai I've ever eaten in Thailand or the USA.

I have a cast iron stomach & hv been to Bangkok countless times without ever getting sick eating at street stalls.

Trader Joe's Satay made me mildly ill but I strugged it off. This weekend I ate the Pad Thai which had no expiration date on it (isn't that required now?) but I found the receipt & had bought it 10 weeks ago.

I fixed it, ate about half & thought it was truly disgusting. Within 2 hours I was going at "both ends" & that kept up for almost 36 hours.

Trader Joe owes me two double rolls of toilet paper.

It was disgusting & unlike any Pad Thai I've ever eaten in Thailand or the USA.